| Director | Walter Hill |
|---|---|
| Genre | action film, buddy cop film, crime film, crime thriller film |
| Runtime | 91 min |
| Country | United States |
| Budget | $55 million |
| Box office | $22.6 million |
In New Orleans, hitman Jimmy Bobo and his partner Louis Blanchard kill a corrupt former WDCPD policeman, Hank Greely. Decompressing at a bar, Blanchard is murdered by another hitman, Keegan, whose attempt to also kill Bobo fails.
WDCPD Detective Taylor Kwon arrives to investigate Greely's death. Meanwhile, Keegan meets with his employer, Robert Morel, and Morel's lawyer Marcus Baptiste. Baptiste reveals that Greely tried to blackmail Morel, and provided local mobster Baby Jack with a file detailing Morel's illegal operations. Keegan kills Baby Jack and his men and retrieves the file.
Kwon meets Bobo but is attacked by corrupt cops ordered by Morel to prevent Kwon from investigating Greely. He is shot before Bobo rescues him. Using Kwon's intel, they go to a Turkish bathhouse, where Bobo interrogates Ronnie Earl, the middleman who hired Bobo and Blanchard on Morel's behalf. Ronnie tries to kill Bobo, but Bobo kills him after a struggle. When his gun jams, nearly causing his death, Bobo angrily confronts Kwon, who admits to having tampered with Bobo's gun, not trusting him. The two decide to put aside their differences and work together.
Bobo and Kwon kidnap Baptiste and take him to Bobo's secret boathouse, where he is forced to hand over a flash drive detailing an extensive corruption scheme put in place by Morel to replace low-rent housing projects with luxury condominiums. He reveals that Keegan is an ex-mercenary. Bobo kills Baptiste just as Keegan and his men attack. Bobo and Kwon escape, and Bobo detonates a bomb, killing Keegan's men. Angered at Bobo's methods, Kwon abandons him and meets with Lieutenant Lebreton to ask for his help. When Lebreton tries to kill him, as he is also on Morel's payroll, Bobo saves Kwon again.
Morel has Bobo's adult daughter, Lisa, kidnapped and offers to trade her for the flash drive. Keegan becomes furious when Bobo is safely allowed to leave with Lisa; he kills Morel before confronting Bobo. This culminates in an intense axe fight until Bobo stabs Keegan, and Kwon shoots him dead.
Kwon retrieves the flash drive, and Bobo shoots him in the shoulder to make it appear as if Kwon failed to capture him. He suggests that Kwon blame him for all of Morel's gangsters shot by Kwon in the struggle.
Six weeks later, Kwon meets with Bobo and tells him that he did not, in fact, mention Bobo's involvement to the police, but that if Bobo continues in this business, Kwon will take him down. Bobo welcomes him to try.